


Legacy of the Knight

by stepheninfinite



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, DC comics - Freeform, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Torture, Psychological Torture, Torture, Villains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:47:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21627067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepheninfinite/pseuds/stepheninfinite
Summary: Gotham City, 2022.The Batman has died, will a new hero emerge?A collection of 8 villain centric chapters with a prologue and endgame.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Death of a Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you enjoy this Batman-centric fic I've had planned for a while :)   
> Please be constructive in your criticism.

_Gotham City – 7 th April 2022_

“Today, Gotham mourns as a beloved hero, and icon of our city, Bruce Wayne, will have his funeral later on this afternoon, the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce lived a glamorous yet controversial lifestyle, yet never let that dampen the legacy of the Wayne family. Also today, plans to re-open the Gotham Museum as the Wayne Memorial Museum will be underway after an attack by Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, left the museum in ruins. Bruce leaves behind his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, and his 10-year old son, Damian Wayne. This is Jack Ryder, reporting for GNN Live.”

Gotham City had fallen into despair after the death of Bruce Wayne. Streets were empty, lights weren’t shining, the TV only showed one thing, the 24/7 news channel, and occasionally, a memorial graphic would appear for Bruce. This of course, was plenty of reason for the villains and petty criminals to wreck havoc upon the city, but that never happened. Two-Face was last seen the day before Bruce had died, Riddler had unusually been silent, Penguin spent his days inside the Iceberg Lounge, not hatching any schemes, and The Joker... no one had seen him or Harley in around a year. That all changed today, at Bruce’s funeral.

Wayne Manor had never been so full with Gotham’s people. Alfred began to speak. “Master Bruce would be proud that he impacted so many people, I only wish he was here to see it.” During Alfred’s speech, Damian was watching from the balcony as he spotted Dick Grayson drinking with Tim Drake, he had no choice but to eavesdrop, right?

“Listen, Tim. I only think it’s right that people should know who Bruce really was. This... this wasn’t Bruce. I get that this was his whole public persona and he’d want to uphold that, but dont the people deserve to know who’s been protecting them all this time?” Dick and Tim were at odds about this situation, Damian didn’t know who was right. Dick wanted to reveal the secret, but Tim didn’t, as he thought that revealing it would cause panic and discomfort among the people, there’d also be no telling how the villains would react to it. “Dick. Please listen to me, I know you don’t want to think that he had someone smarter than you as his sidekick, but what would you think if Bruce told everyone about said sidekicks? I ask you, don’t disrespect his legacy like this.”

Before Damian had realised, he’d made himself known, Dick and Tim had seen him. “Hey Damian, buddy. Your father wouldn’t want people to know, right?” Damian shook his head, to imply that he agreed with Tim, and not Dick. Truth is, he didn’t know who to side with here. “I wonder if Master Bruce enjoyed my speech...” Alfred had interrupted before things got out of hand between them. “Master Dick, and Master Tim. How good to see you here, I assume Ms. Gordon isn’t joining us?” Barbara Gordon, former technical adviser to Bruce Wayne, daughter of Commissioner Gordon and, was always avoiding big events, so for her to miss the funeral of Bruce wasn’t out of the ordinary for her. “No, Alfred. She’s still dealing with it in her own way. I don’t think she can be around anyone at the moment. Also, it’s uh... Mrs. Drake, now.” Barbara had married Tim in the few years they’d been out of contact with Bruce and Alfred. 

Suddenly, many familiar faces entered the venue, Jack Ryder, James Gordon, Vicki Vale, Lucius Fox, Leslie Thompkins and to the shock of many, Michael Lane.

“Isn’t that... Officer Lane? Why is he here?” Michael apparently was the police officer that lost his job after a tragedy fell upon his family. But why is he here to pay respects to Bruce Wayne? Before anyone could properly react to his appearance at the funeral, he had taken the stage.

“Excuse me, everyone? I’d like to take this opportunity to speak to you all.” People were confused, and rightly so. “Bruce had told me, that were anything to ever happen to him, he told me to read you this letter.” Michael began to read the letter.

_“If you’re reading, or hearing this, I’m gone, or will be soon. Sorry about that. I want you all not to mourn, but to celebrate my life as one of this city’s bright lights, Gotham will not die because I have, now, the reason I’ve asked Officer Lane to read this to you is that he helped me in a time where I was away for a long time, I was in prison for petty criminal stuff and well, Lane helped clear my name. Anyway, this is my will. To my butler, Mr. Pennyworth, I leave $6,000,000 and shares in Wayne Enterprises, you helped me become the man I was, and for that I thank you. To my son, Damian, you’re in my position now, remember, the Wayne family legacy is yours now, all of it. To my dear wife, Selina, I know you’re not with them either, you’re still in hospital recovering, but please, when you wake up, remember me, there’s also millions of dollars waiting here for you. Finally, to my faithful friends, you were my family, you know who you are and I don’t need to say how much you all meant to me. You each get unlimited access to Wayne Enterprises’ R &D Department, you know what to do. One more note... For years I’ve kept this from you, but it’s only right to admit this now, my legacy is much more than money, cars, women and businesses. My legacy is only just beginning in Gotham. I’ve kept you protected from the criminals that think they run this place, I am the knight, I am Batman.”_

Those words left the entire room stunned. Bruce Wayne was Batman. The funeral was also live streamed so that meant anyone and everyone knew who Bruce was now. Including... the villains.

“Bruce Wayne?!! No...it can’t be!” Riddler was amazed, but angry. “That should have been ME that figured it out! Not some lowlife unintelligent ex-cop!” A hint of jealousy ran through Riddler as he promised himself that he’d be the one to figure out the identity of Batman

“Bruce Wayne... heh. There goes the Batman contract also, I guess.” Deathstroke was composed and calm when hearing the news, his equal in combat was also gone.

“WAYNE?! YOU’RE KIDDING ME, RIGHT?” Penguin was just angry. The fued between the Wayne and Cobblepot families stretch back around 300 years, and to find out his two rivals, Bruce Wayne, and Batman, were the same person, angered him.

“Bruce Wayne, now that’s a surprise. I respect that he could separate those two lifestyles.” Harvey had a sense of pride, that he was the last person to fight Batman, and that Bruce could do what he couldn’t. “Respect?!! Screw respect! Burn that mansion down!” Two-Face... not so much.

Scarecrow sat there in silence, thinking of his next move when... “Oh Crane, what a shame, the fact that you’re just sitting there is pretty lame.” Jervis Tetch, The Mad Hatter had aligned himself with Scarecrow.

“The Prince and The Dark Knight of Gotham are gone, my friends. Come, lets break them even more.” Bane and his army rejoiced at the fact that Batman was gone. Gotham was broken.

“Nora... I will help you.” Victor was more motivated than ever, and Gotham wasn’t going to stop him from curing his wife.

As villains had many different reactions to the news, streets filled again, the people had closure, the weather improved, Gotham seemed... full of life again, celebrating the legacy that Bruce Wayne had left them. All seemed... perfect, but then...

“Attention Gotham City! Long time, no see huh?! I know, I know, where have I been?! Well, lets just say... I’m back, and Gotham will be the circus of madness I knew it as, once again!” That voice, the voice the people of Gotham hoped they would NEVER hear again... “Just in case you’re wondering, yes... it is indeed me!” The big screens in the city flickered, and on them... he appeared. “Gotham... say hello, or well, welcome back... to me, The Joker!” The Joker was back, and Gotham would never be the same again.


	2. Riddles and Robberies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Month after The Joker's return, The Riddler goes on a bizarre heist spree with huge consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I think this chapter could be better, personally. I do hope you enjoy the story, though!

_One Month Later_

The month after Joker’s return to Gotham was a chaotic one. Villains once again ruled the streets, with people hearing of new crimes every day, Blackgate was cramped with criminals whose crimes were either too petty to go into Arkham or had connections to the mob, Gotham needed a hero that would strike fear into the hearts of criminals and villains alike.

Dick Grayson wanted to return to Blüdhaven. He’d been in Gotham since Bruce’s funeral, yet felt like he had to stay there, against his own wishes, to return Gotham to the people. In Blüdhaven, he was known as Nightwing, yet Gotham was largely unaware of this hero, they’d always seen Grayson in his Robin days. It was time to introduce Nightwing to the people of Gotham City. “Are you sure this is wise, Master Grayson? You might not be equipped to take on a crime wave this big on your own, sir.” Alfred felt concerned for Grayson’s safety, much the same as Bruce, he’d seen Grayson grow up through his childhood and teen years. “Alfred, I owe this to Bruce, he’d want to see this city be protected, even though he’s gone, and I’m not letting these criminals get away with anything”.

“What’s the deal with being reckless, Dick?” Tim had interrupted the conversation in the Batcave. “Look, man. You aren’t prepared, you’re angry and you could get hurt out there, on your own. I get that you did this shit all the time in Blüdhaven, but this is Gotham, it’s not what you’re used to. At least let me help.” In the month, the relationship between Grayson and Tim hadn’t improved, it was sour and Grayson rarely listened to him, leading to the two often engaging in shouting matches. “Who are you to talk about being reckless, Tim? I gotta say, Barbara wouldn’t appreciate you sticking around here either, so don’t talk to me about being reckless when you should be home with your wife.” Tim didn’t appreciate being talked down to. “Don’t you dare talk about Barbara again, she knows, and she’s fine with me staying in Gotham for a little while longer. So shut the hell up, you don’t know her like I do.”

Tim had pushed Grayson against the walls of the Batcave, obviously angry that Grayson had assumed he had stayed without telling Barbara first. “Cut this out at once, sirs!” Alfred had intervened between the two. “I know that Master Bruce is gone, but this is no way to handle grief!” In the shadows, Damien had been watching this entire event unfold but he hadn’t said a word since his father’s funeral. So in his eyes, there’s nothing he could say anyway that would resolve this. “Now come on, shake hands like men and end this pettiness.” Tim and Drake offered their hands, but when Tim began to accept, Grayson had head butted him. “There’s a little payback.”

The two had agreed to work together, for now anyway. Nightwing and Red Robin formed a team, with Grayson’s combat skills and Tim’s detective skills, they made a formidable team. “Now, Alfred, what have we got?” Alfred began to rundown the various crimes that Gotham had been dealing with in the last month. “As you can see, we have a lot to deal with. But may I suggest looking at this? It seems that there’s been a string of peculiar art heists within the past month with one common theme, all bat themed paintings and sculptures, sirs.” 

“Does this guy not know that Bruce is dead? I mean, clearly he wanted to send a message to him.” Grayson had a point, if this criminal had planned this out before the death of Batman, then it would seem less out of the ordinary than it is. “There’s one more thing, Master Grayson. The criminal has already been an adversary of Master Bruce in the past. It’s The Riddler, sir.” The Riddler, also known as Edward Nigma. “We know because of the classic puzzleboxes left at each robbery, sirs.” Riddler was always smart about his crimes, he never got sloppy or messy. The puzzleboxes seemed out of the ordinary, he hadn’t used them since Batman had put him away in Arkham a few years ago, when he got out, Riddler had changed his own MO, instead of puzzleboxes, it was spray painted riddles and audio tapes that led Batman to him. He had now returned to his original MO. There was no Batman to stop him this time.

Riddler had robbed 4 galleries this past month, which were: Gotham National Art Gallery, Creative Collection, Paradise of Art, and Dent’s Private Gallery. “Where do we start?”

“Might I suggest the National Gallery, sirs? It seems that’s been a popular spot for Riddler in the past.” They took Alfred’s suggestion and headed to the Gallery. The crime scene itself was covered in the usual green question marks, and of course, the puzzlebox. “So what do we do with this thing? Do we just-” Before Tim had the chance, the PA system in the gallery had come on. “Well, look who it is! It’s Red Robin! Joined by a... blue Robin?” It was Riddler, and he was taunting them from far away, it seems. “You two think you can solve my puzzles? Good luck, you’re going to need it.” Grayson and Tim had both come across Riddler as Robin, but it was Grayson that hadn’t dealt with Riddler since then, so he knew more about the puzzleboxes than Tim did. “Step back, Tim. Let me handle this.” Nightwing opened the puzzlebox, and in it, a miniature maze. “Robins! Guide the RCV through the maze! If you succeed. You get a riddle, that riddle will tell you a clue to my plan, but touch the sides, or lead the car to a dead end, and... zap! A deadly amount of electricity will run through the remote and to your bodies!” Riddler had gone mad, previous puzzleboxes were never this deadly or lethal, he had preferred the slow death.

They had no choice, if they were to find out what Riddler had planned, they had to do this. “Here goes nothing, Dick.” Slowly leading the car through the maze, Grayson and Tim were trying to avoid failing the challenge in front of them, avoiding dead ends and the sides of the maze, with each corner of the maze getting harder and harder to navigate through, when they encountered a difficult section, 2 paths, 1 will lead to a dead end, and the other, the end of the maze, the twist... one was a fake dead end. “This sucks. He ALWAYS makes people go through unnecessary steps just to prove his superior intellect.” Grayson had enough, he began to try and find different solutions to the puzzle put in front of him.

He tried breaking the glass exterior of the maze to no success, he even tried to use various methods of breaking the glass, until he used his electrical stun sticks, those had sent a charge through the maze, breaking the fake wall and beating Riddlers puzzle. “I guess brute force works too, Dick.” Tim most likely felt jealous that Grayson’s method had worked, and not his smart method. “Congratulations, although you could’ve just looked harder at the glass, and NOT wasted time, Robins!” Looking at the glass exterior again, they found a secret exit... right where the vehicle started. They felt dumb, especially Tim. “Just give us the riddle!” Impatience was Grayson’s worst enemy, he was desperate for the riddle. “The riddle is this! You may break me, but no one hears me. What am I?”

“The answer is law. Law, unlike the sound of glass, or the beating of a heart, does not make a sound, it’s just that simple.” Tim was waiting for Riddlers response. Had he gotten it right? “Correct! The answer is indeed, law! Although... Don’t. Call. Me. Simple.” Riddler had cut off the PA system. Nightwing and Red Robin had beaten him, but it wasn’t over, there were still 3 more puzzles and riddles to solve. Time was running out for them, Riddler may have already enacted his plan.

“So how are we going to get through this quicker? It’s not like we have time, Riddler likes a schedule and if we don’t meet that, he might go through with his plan without us being there on time, we should cover one each, then meet at the last one.” Grayson had actually agreed, so they split up to focus on each gallery, and then meet, at Dent’s Personal Gallery. During the split, Tim encountered a problem. Creative Collection was overrun with rioters so he had to be quick. “Okay Tim... You got this...”

Tim hadn’t quite gotten used to being Red Robin again, after marrying Barbara, he’d largely quit crime-fighting and had gotten rusty. He was slower and less agile. He’d had a run in with Black Mask, aka Roman Sionis, which almost left him dead around 3 years before this. Tim thought back to that time, and wondered if he was making the right decision putting the suit back on and staying in Gotham.

_Three Years Earlier_

“C’mon Roman... it doesn’t have to be this way. Give yourself up!” Black Mask had cornered Tim and tied him to a chair, angry at him for ruining the Sionis business. “Give myself up? No. But what you should do is not get in my way! I had money! I had an empire! Now, it’s time to pay for what you’ve done, bird.” Red Robin had shut down all the gun running schemes that Black Mask had, which in turn, made all of his partners in crime, abandon him and take his money. “Batman can’t save you now, Robin. That’s all you are, no matter what you call yourself, deep down you’ll always be Batman’s sidekick, and not independent in any way.” That ate at Tim, he knew that Sionis was right. He felt like nothing without Batman, yet he always wanted to feel independent from him. “Poor little Robin. Trapped here, and nowhere to run, with no one to save you. Come in boys. Show him what it means to ruin my empire.” Black Mask had called in his thugs.

Kick. Punch. Kick. That’s all Tim could feel as he began to lose consciousness. He was ready to let death in, after all... he wasn’t Batman. “That’s enough. It’s time to meet your maker, little bird.” About to shoot him, Black Mask had stopped himself. “Not yet. Slow is better.” Before Sionis had even thought about it, he had shot Tim in both his knees. Tim had cried out in pain. He thought help would never come. “Now...which finger will I take first?” Sionis was about to do the unthinkable, when he heard movement from the shadows, cans bouncing off the ground, and boxes moving about. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!” Then it happened, a lone arrow had shot Black Mask in the arm, making him drop his gun. “Y’know, you really shouldn’t have come to Star City, Roman.” Out of the shadows, Green Arrow had stepped out. Star City was his home turf, and Black Mask was stepping on it. “What’s the matter, get sick of Batman?” When Arrow had said that, a rage ran through Sionis. “I was wondering when I’d get to meet you, Arrow. It’s just a shame that I have to kill you in our first encounter.”

“It’s not just him, Roman.” Black Canary arrived on the scene also. “Leave, before we hurt you.” Black Mask had dashed out, leaving Arrow and Canary with an almost dead Tim Drake. “C’mon Ollie, he needs help. Let’s get him out of here.”

_Present Day_

He thought back to that day, the day he decided to stop fighting crime. Where were Canary and Arrow? More importantly, where was Black Mask now? He had to focus on Riddler though, and the rioters in the gallery. Tim just managed to sneak through to the crime scene, but he had to be quick, the rioters were making their way through, and at a fast rate.

“Right... What is it this time, Ed?” The Riddler Box had opened, and in it... nothing. “Okay... that’s interesting”. “That is indeed interesting! Just why, oh why, is my box empty? Ah! This is why!” A green light had lit up the room, and the rioters made their way to it. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised that you never saw this coming when you came here! People are so... easy to fool. Beat these men, without fighting them, and you get my riddle!” There must have been upwards of 30 rioters, but Tim couldn’t handle every one of them, and Riddler knew that whoever accepted his challenge couldn’t either. Riddler always planned for this type of situation, so he always left a way for someone to solve his puzzles.

“Right... 30 men. 1 solution...” Tim thought of using the green light to disorient his enemies, but that didn’t seem to work. Many tries later, he had concocted a plan, use the rioters anger to his advantage, so using the galleries valuables, he could make them fight each other for the art. So he began throwing all sorts of gold statues and priceless art pieces on the ground. He didn’t seem to care that he was ruining the gallery, all he wanted was to catch The Riddler, and to prove that he didn’t need Batman. It worked, they all began fighting each other. “Congratulations, here’s your riddle! Bruce Wayne lost this, The Batman gained this, what am I?”. “...Family. Bruce lost his parents, but Batman had Robin, and Batgirl.”

“Correct! 2 down... 2... wait a second... 1 to go! It seems the blue bird has solved his too!” Nightwing and Red Robin both solved each puzzle. Now all that was left, was to meet at Dent’s Private Gallery, both seemed nervous to go there, they had no idea if Harvey was going to be investigating there, so a level of caution was needed if the worst transpired.

Everything seemed normal when the duo arrived there, there was no sign of Harvey or his goons, and it was quiet, until Riddler spoke from the usual speakers. “Y’know, I never expected this, two brainless buffoons ACTUALLY solved those puzzles! Although, you’ll NEVER beat me! OR this puzzle! You know why? There ISN’T one! Only... a riddle, one final riddle, and you uncover my plan. That’s if, well, you actually solve it. Your riddle is this! Gotham relies on me for protection, yet I am unreliable to protect them, what am I?” 

“Is it... the GCPD?” Tim guessed with caution, as he wasn’t sure of the answer himself.

“....CORRECT. I’m sure the bluebird is piecing things together... right about... NOW.”

“Red. We need to leave, right now. Like, right now. I’ll explain when we get to the GCPD.”

Nightwing immediately hopped on his motorbike and sped off with Tim following behind, what did he find out that has him in a rush to get there?

At the GCPD, Nightwing had burst in the door, demanding to see Commissioner Gordon. “Hey Hey! What’s the damn matter, Nightwing?” James Gordon always had his ear tuned to every news station, he was aware of Nightwings escapades in Blüdhaven. “Sir, I believe The Riddler has kidnapped one of your officers, or, well, former officers and is holding him hostage somewhere in Gotham.”

“Who is the officer? Riddler hasn’t been active in Gotham for a few months, we’d heard about the robberies but there wasn’t much we could do, with the whole, y’know, Joker coming back and leading a crime wave the likes this city hasn’t seen before.”

“Officer Lane, sir. Riddler must be harbouring some sort of jealousy over Batman revealing his identity to him, sir. Thus, the bat related thefts.” Micheal Lane, the officer that lost his job in the GCPD after a family tragedy got him in trouble with law enforcement.

“I’m here... I’m here. What was that about Lane?” Tim could barely breathe, he had used the buildings to get here. “Red... the answer to the riddle he gave me was Lane, and after we found out that last answer, I’d connected the dots.” The four answers. Law. Family. Lane. GCPD. Everything connected, but where was Lane?

Suddenly, the lights in the GCPD went out, and on every computer screen, a broadcast from The Riddler had appeared. “Well done, junior detectives! You figured out my plan! I apologise, but Officer Lane is all... tied up, at the moment. Although, there WAS an easier way to figure out this! The galleries! G.C.P.D. The first letter of each! Anyway, Lane here thinks he can just KNOW Batman’s identity without me figuring it out first! Now, he will pay for what The Batman has done. In around... 15 minutes, a bomb will explode, that bomb will reveal where he’s being kept, although... he’ll be in pieces by the time you get there. Unless. You carefully trace the bomb’s frequency AND find out where I’m broadcasting from, all within the 15 minute time frame, although, the GCPD doesn’t have that equipment, do they? Only The Batman did. Your time starts now. Good luck.”

“...I’ll call Alfred. See what’s still working.” Tim began to dial Alfred on his earpiece. “Hey, Alf? You there?”

“Reading you loud and clear, Master Drake. I saw Riddlers broadcast, I’ll see what I can do here.” Alfred had logged on to the Batcomputer, attempting to trace the location of Riddler. Yet no matter what, the signal kept bouncing from place to place, with no lock on his location. The timer had kept counting down, there was 5 minutes left on it. Alfred wasn’t any closer, whatever Riddler had done, he’d completely shielded his location. That’s when Alfred realised, there’s only one location where he could do that. Arkham Asylum had been shut down for around a year with all its equipment still intact. It was suddenly abandoned without any notice. Riddler, and hopefully Lane, were at Arkham. Only... the Asylum was a 10 minute drive away, and there was 2 minutes left on the clock. Alfred had sat there... he had failed. There was no way that they could reach it. The clock was reaching the end, and with 10 seconds remaining...

3...2...1. Nothing. There was no explosion, it was merely a distraction. They had fallen right into Nigmas mind games. Riddler was untraceable. And by the time they had figured out his location, both him, and Lane, were long gone.

“I’m... sorry. There was nothing I could do. It was a trap.” Alfred expressed deep regret, but he knew that he would be forgiven, and tried to keep composure.

“How gripping, Harley! Dear old Ed, sending Bird-brain and the rest of ‘em into a wild goose chase, only to escape at the end of it!” Joker continued to stay in the Amusement Mile, ruling Gotham’s crime world with an iron fist. “Definetly, Puddin! Gotham doesn’t know what we’re up to, hehe!”

_Meanwhile..._

“Edward Nigma. You have done your job well, thank you for delivering Mr. Lane to us. Now leave, and go into hiding, don’t let anyone know your location. The Order thanks you.”

Who was The Order... and what did they want with Micheal Lane? Was there a leader? Why did they hire Edward? Will Edward keep his promise to lay low?

....And what was The Joker planning?


End file.
